Located in Southern Africa, just above South Africa, Botswana hosts the contrasts of some of the driest and wettest land on earth with the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta. With its wild nature, adventurous fly-in/fly-out safaris and dramatic landscapes, Botswana makes an excellent choice for a family vacation in Africa. Plus, its proximity to Zambia makes it easy to combine with a family trip to Victoria Falls.
Chobe River:
Located in northern Botswana along the border with Namibia’s Caprivi Strip, Chobe National Park has the highest concentration of African elephants of anywhere in the world. Flowing through Angola and Namibia (also called the Kwando River), the river flows into Linyanti Swamp in Botswana and eventually empties into the Zambezi River. It is the highlight of Chobe National Park, which is Botswana’s third largest park. The Chobe riverfront is home to massive herds of elephants and giraffes as well as buffalo and antelope. The river offers a unique way for families to see the animals via a river cruise. During the dry season especially (April- October) elephants come down to the river in herds reaching in the hundreds to drink. The river is also packed with hippos and crocodiles and the banks lined with baboons. In addition to the huge herds of elephants, the marsh areas are known for their zebras and big predators like lions, leopards and hyenas.
Okavango Delta:
Situated in the northwestern part of Botswana, the Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta in the world. It is often referred to as the jewel of the Kalahari Basin. It hosts a bizarre mix of wetland and dry lands and kids will love getting around here – by small aircraft landing on dirt strips, by safari jeep and by mokoro (a small traditional boat). The Panhandle in the northwest has a deep, flowing river and the swamps are always flooded. The Delta is a continual series of channels, lagoons, ox-bow lakes and flooded grasslands. The flooding creates hundreds upon hundreds of little islands to explore and the channels create unique opportunities for game viewing by mokoro. To the southeast, the dryland region (along with the Delta region) is where most of the tented camps are located and hosts landmarks like Chief’s Island. Okavanga Delta is home to over 100 species of mammals – including elephants, giraffe, buffalo, hippo, lion, leopard, cheetah and many types of antelope – and over 400 kinds of birds.
Getting There and Around:
South Africa Airways connects to Gabarone (Botswana’s capitol) or to Kasane (the town outside Chobe National Park) and Maun (the gateway to Okavango Delta). Air Botswana connects the capitol with other areas and flies routes from Maun and Kasane to Johannesburg and other parts of Africa.
Charter flights connect these town to the Okavango Delta and Chobe area camps. Flying from Kasane or Maun to small, dirt runway airstrips near the safari camps is something your family will never forget! Plus, with the low flying aircraft, the kids can keep an eye out for large elephant herds, which can easily be spotted from the plane!
The Chobe River flows into the Zambezi River, which plummets at Victoria Falls. With its proximity to Chobe National Park (about 1 1/2 hours away), Victoria Falls makes an excellent combination trip with northern Botswana. And the land crossing is something straight out an adventure book…the kids will feel like Indiana Jones!
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